One hundred years rest lightly on Helen Porter, who was honored by her children with a party celebrating her July 1 birthday.

The party was at Chambrel Senior Living where Helen lives independently.

She grew up on the family farm in Warren County, Iowa, and still attends to business concerning the farm.

"We raised corn, hay, hogs and cattle," she says a few days after the big celebration. She, her brother and sister attended a consolidated school, getting there by way of wagons pulled by horses. They were about 25 miles from Des Moines but closer to Indianola, the county seat. By 1954 they had three more farms.

"The Rock Island Railroad came through about two years before I was born in 1914 and went on to Kansas City," she remembered.

After 12 years in school, she took the teachers' test from Iowa State Teachers College and taught for three years in a one-room school.

In those days, the schools would not hire married teachers. Helen Spurgin met Melvin Porter; they married in 1935, thus changing her career to farm wife and later to motherhood.

One of Helen's daughters-in-law, Jerry's wife Deb, compiled booklet favors containing events in Helen's life. There are sections for 1914-1957, 1957-1995 and 1995-2014.

Helen tells about the farm life including raising chickens, besides the other stock. She did knitting, crocheting and sewed for the family, once taking a course in tailoring in order to make boys' clothing for sons Charles and Jerry. Daughter Lynne arrived 11 years after Jerry, affording her mother the opportunity to enjoy sewing for a girl.

After Melvin died, Helen worked for the State of Iowa in the personnel department.

A major move in 1995 brought her here where she bought a home in North Garland.

"I have enjoyed the Garland Senior Center where I made new friends. I joined the John Markley Sunday School Class at First United Methodist Church." She went on trips sponsored by the Senior Center and began playing bridge on Tuesdays at Audubon Recreation Center. She still plays there on Tuesdays where she joins in four tables and added Monday bridge at Chambrel. Friends comment on her sharp mind.

During her farm life and beyond she has been known as an excellent cook. She had special roses in her garden, and continued seasonal planting in her Garland home. A pesky sholder limits some of her activity now. But she drives, giving her continued independence.

Looking back, she remembers how it was hard to "pull up" from Iowa and move to a new state. Charles and his wife, Cheryl, are still in Iowa, but Helen is closer to Jerry and his wife, Deb, in Decatur and to Lynne, who handled finance for the Garland Independent School District, then retired as an assistant superintendent of H-E-B schools.

A new decoration in Helen's apartment was made by Deb. Tall cut-out backgrounds of the numbers 100 are covered with dozens of family pictures from four albums and scrapbooks. Cheryl made the special birthday cake.

"I'll spend a long time looking at all the pictures," she says. There are eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren in photos with the three Porter children, friends, and probably pictures of trips to South Padre Island.

Memories of this special birthday will include the arrival of a niece and husband from California and sister-in-law, Norma Hahn, from Florida.

‘Millie’ for weekend

Tickets for the second Garland Summer Musical of the season, "Thoroughly Modern Millie," are available by calling the Granville Arts Center where a performance will begin at 8 p.m. today. On-line ticketing is available at wwwgarlandartboxoffice.com. The box office number is 972-205-2790.

Other performances will be at 8 p.m., July 19, July 25 and 26, and at 2:30 p.m., July 19, 20, 26 and 27. Buff Shurr will direct, and Patty Granville is producer.

Erica Peterman is cast as Millie; Andy Gosnell is Jimmy; Andrea Talladino-Cox is Miss Dorothy; Gregory Hullett is Trevor Graydon, with a large cast. The Broadway and movie favorite is based on the 1967 Julie Andrews film. It is the story of Kansas farm girl Millie Dillmount who comes to New York in 1922 to become a "modern" flapper, find a job and marry her boss. Millie's New York experience has a lot of hilarious twists of fate and fortune.

All performances are held in the Brownlee Auditorium of the Granville Arts Center, 300 N. Fifth St. in downtown Garland

Special college credit is provided through a partnership with Eastfield College and the Dallas County Community College District for everyone cast in the shows and technical crew.

The Garland Summer Musicals are funded in part through special grants from the Garland Cultural Arts Commission, Inc., GSM Guild, Garland Power & Light, Garland Water Utilities, Micropac and Ecolab.

Condolences

Memorial service for Laymon Christian was July 10 at First Christian Church, with interment July 11 at DFW National Cemetery. He died June 30 from complications of Parkinson's Disease.

Born April 2, 1935 in Pampa, he later lived in Lubbock for many years where he was an avid Texas Tech fan. He served in the military police in the U.S. Army. He and his family moved to Garland in the late 1960s. He was retired from E-Systems and from his own business, Christian Termite and Pest Control. He was active in the Dallas Area Pest Control Association and was a past president. He was also a member of Toastmasters and the Optimist Club. He loved sports, especially college and professional football and car racing. He was a grateful member of a fellowship for recovering alcoholics. He enjoyed working with others and remained active from his sobriety date in 1983.

Those desiring to honor his life may donate to one of the organizations who make a difference in the quality of life for those with Parkinson's and their loved ones: www.parkinson voiceproject.org or www.daps.us.